Given Right Conditions, There Is Huge Opportunity For Growth In India: Enzo Paoli
Enzo Paoli, President of Business Warp Preparation at Karl Mayer, shared insights on the warp preparation and weaving market in India during ITMA Asia + CITME 2025, highlighting both challenges and opportunities.
Paoli described the Indian market as ‘stable but not growing as expected,’ citing factors like Covid disruptions, raw material costs and regulatory changes. “Filament production is growing, but much of the market is low-end, mass commodity, which is difficult for us to compete in,” he said. Despite this, he sees strong potential in the southern regions of India, particularly in Vizag, Kochi and Surat. “India remains one of our top three markets alongside China,” Paoli noted, “and with the right conditions, there’s huge opportunity for growth.”
On pricing pressures, Paoli emphasized the company’s focus on quality over mass commodities. “For price-sensitive customers with no quality requirements, we don’t compete. We focus on quality commodities, export markets and apparel segments, offering India as a reliable alternative to China.”
Paoli also highlighted recent innovations in Karl Mayer’s warp preparation solutions, including improvements in direct warping technology and the Cascade system, which saves energy and reduces emissions while cutting customer steam consumption by over 7%. “These are not revolutions, but evolutionary improvements to enhance price-performance for our customers,” he said.
Looking ahead to ITMA Asia, Paoli expressed optimism about the exhibition’s new non-China-centric format. “This is the first ITMA Asia outside China in over 20 years. I’m looking forward to connecting with customers from India, Southeast Asia, and Vietnam. It’s a different experience and an important opportunity to expand our market connections.”
